I Start with a Bad Hand!

‘Wow….’

The chandelier’s light cascaded down onto Roxanne’s golden dress, making the lace shimmer like waves catching the sunlight with each step she took. Holding Elius’s hand, she moved gracefully to the center of the ballroom, looking every bit like the star of the evening. The soft music playing around them blended seamlessly with the admiring murmurs of the guests.

‘It’s quite a sight to see.’

Despite the visual pleasure of watching Roxanne, I felt a growing sense of disappointment. Tapping my foot lightly to the rhythm of the music, I wondered what Hayden thought of me. Did he really find satisfaction in embarrassing people in such a shallow way? What did he gain from making me feel humiliated like this?

‘Sure, it’s embarrassing. But still…’

Couldn’t he have chosen a different method? Was it really necessary to humiliate me from the start? I looked at Roxanne, dancing in the middle of the ballroom with a delicate smile on her face, as if she had never cried in Cedric’s arms. 

‘Roxanne shines on her own without any help. Why make her seem spiteful by doing this to me?’

Why would someone I liked want to make others dislike her? What kind of mentality led to that? Feeling a bit stifled, I took a sip of my drink. Agnes, who had been watching me from ten meters away, approached and whispered.

“I told you to wear something else.”

“…Hey, clothes are just an illusion. People see through the clothes to the person’s attitude.”

“Sure. Keep telling yourself that.”

Her earlier warning not to acknowledge each other at the ball was clearly sincere, with no hint of a joke. Just then, Agnes looked toward the entrance of the ballroom, her face slowly transforming into one of shock. She tapped my shoulder and quickly walked away. Her reaction made me turn my head toward the entrance as well.

‘What is she looking at…?’

And there he was—someone whose appearance was beyond anything I could have imagined. My partner was walking towards me in an outfit so shocking that it overshadowed my previous irritation.

“Oh, oh…”

Why did he have white fungus around his neck? How could a man’s outfit have so many fluttering lace details? How could such a dark, navy tone feel so garish? And why did Klaus, with a shy face, look like he was walking in front of a mirror ball? The reason for my shock was simple.

‘Does this mean my dress seems just as ridiculously outdated to them?’

Even though my dress lacked the outrageous firefly-like decorations, was it really on par with Klaus’s attire? Unable to close my gaping mouth, I was approached by Agnes once more. She whispered in my ear, “Clothes are an illusion; what matters is your attitude,” before quickly retreating. Now standing twenty meters away, Agnes looked at me with a wistful expression.

“Dietrich.”

“Klaus.”

We stared at each other for a moment. When Klaus noticed I was biting my lips so hard they were turning white, he stifled a laugh with a cough. From that moment, we both pretended to be coughing, sneezing, or choking on drinks in a desperate attempt not to laugh. It felt like we were creating a beatbox of suppressed giggles.

‘Wow, what if my dress had turned out better than expected, and he showed up in that?’

Fearing we might truly come across as lunatics, I managed to drag Klaus to a secluded terrace, where we finally let out our laughter. Well, I was the one laughing uncontrollably with tears in my eyes, while Klaus’s smile turned into a bright, contagious laugh. He soon composed himself and spoke with a slightly serious expression.

“I wasn’t laughing at your dress.”

“I know. You’re the kind of person who would never laugh at a lady, no matter what she wears.”

When I repeated the words Klaus had once said to me at his villa, his face brightened completely.

“Right. You remembered that?”

“Of course. I also remember when you cried, calling out for your sister while chasing your senior on horseback.”

“Ugh, I’m in trouble. Then you must also remember that people often say I lack perceptiveness?”

“….”

I looked at Klaus silently, and he mimicked wiping tears with both hands, pretending to cry. As I laughed again and pretended to lock my lips shut, Klaus exaggeratedly bowed in a thankful gesture.

His once-short, unyielding dark hair now swayed gently in the wind, and the fluffy frills under his tanned neck fluttered like a poodle’s fur. I couldn’t take my eyes off those seemingly useless decorative frills. Noticing this, Klaus lifted one of the frills with a smile.

“This is the outfit I mentioned—my father’s suit. How does it look?”

“It’s better than I expected. Especially the frills around your neck. They’re cute and suit you well.”

“Uh… thanks.”

“You didn’t look very thankful just now.”

Klaus’s light laughter broke out again, and our conversation continued effortlessly. There were several reasons for this: the conversation was genuinely enjoyable, Klaus seemed to feel the same, and above all, once we escaped to the terrace, neither of us felt like returning to the ballroom.

“Dietrich.”

But the brief moment of enjoyment was interrupted when someone opened the glass door and stepped onto the terrace. Klaus, who had been leaning casually against the railing, straightened up and stood protectively in front of me.

“Senior Hayden.”

Hayden’s eyes swept over Klaus from head to toe.

“So, you were here. I didn’t expect you to be with such a… distinguished partner.”

I could feel the tension in Klaus’s body as his stance became more rigid. However, it wasn’t just Klaus who was tense. Hayden, who usually wore a constant smile, seemed unusually irritable today. His effort to maintain his usual cheerful demeanor was evident in the forced curve of his lips.

‘…Ah, it makes sense. Today is ‘that day.’’

Can he see from this angle? Thanks to Klaus standing slightly in front of me, I was able to glance back at the ballroom below. Far off in the distance, I could see the glittering lights and hear the laughter coming from the darkened courtyard.

‘Last year at this time, I was with Icarus in the cherry blossom grove. Time really flies.’

Today was the spring ball, the day when Elius was supposed to confess his feelings to Roxanne again in the original story. The reason I had gone there last year was because I wanted to enjoy the cherry blossoms but avoid overlapping with them.

I turned my gaze away from the now-vanished golden dress. Regardless, the two of them would confess their love, reaffirm their feelings, and strengthen their bond as planned. Hoping they would solidify their relationship on their own, I moved away from the terrace railing. For some reason, knowing Roxanne had moved away made me feel more at ease.

‘Of course, it’s not that I came out to the terrace to avoid Roxanne…’

At least I wouldn’t have to deal with the string of people associated with her. With that thought, I looked at Hayden’s slightly tense face. The reasons, the goals, and what Hayden ultimately wanted remained unclear, but one thing was certain: he didn’t want to see me happy in this ridiculous, old-fashioned dress. So, I had no intention of giving him the reaction he expected.

I pulled my lips into a bright smile.

“I’m glad we met. I was looking for you, actually. I don’t think I properly thanked you.”

“…Me?”

“Yes. If it weren’t for the dress you gave me, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy such a wonderful night. I really wanted to express my gratitude.”

I was having trouble finding a suitable dress. Klaus, who had been focusing on Hayden, glanced at me. At that moment, a familiar tune began to play through the slightly open terrace door. The melody brought back a memory without much effort. This was…

‘The same tune that played when Klaus and I danced after our friendly match.’

As I let out a soft sigh of realization, Klaus naturally made eye contact with me. He silently mouthed, ‘Remember?’ and I nodded almost instinctively. With Roxanne absent from the ballroom and Hayden standing before me, hoping for my distress, there was only one thing left for me to say.

My second smile at Hayden felt more natural than the first. Klaus, already half-inclined towards the ballroom, started to sway rhythmically to the music drifting out. Compared to his sister, he seemed much younger, yet he always displayed a certain maturity in moments like this. Stifling a laugh, I turned back to Hayden.

“We’ll be going now. A song we both like is playing.”

As I moved forward and my sleeve brushed against Klaus, he naturally extended his arm to escort me, as if that had been his intention all along. His already straight posture became even more upright. With a slight nod, Klaus met Hayden’s eyes and spoke in his slow, deliberate manner.

“Have a good night, Hayden.”

Klaus’s smile was genuine and calm, unlike Hayden’s, which seemed precarious. His lips trembled slightly, and seeing that brought a faint smile to my face.

“…Sure. You too.”

A sense of victory warmed my chest. With a small nod, I took Klaus’s arm, and we reentered the ballroom. Students were now dancing, holding hands and moving in time to the music. Seeing the scene again, I wondered if I could blend back into the crowd.

Yet, something strange happened.

‘This is more manageable than I thought!’

Wearing this dress alone might have made me feel like a social misfit, but together, we exuded the aura of people sharing a unique world. Despite wearing a frilled outfit reminiscent of a white fungus, Klaus managed to smile handsomely.

‘There’s strength in numbers…’

Dun-dun-dun, dun-dun-dun. The waltz Klaus liked so much was now familiar to my ears. I even recognized the tune Klaus hummed subconsciously. Maybe that’s why I started humming along to the steady 3/4 waltz rhythm. Dun-dun-dun. Dun-dun-dun.

“I like you.”

Dun-dun…dun. Klaus’s voice blended with the melody, perfectly in time with the rhythm.